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Verification of the SMAP Level-4 Soil Moisture Analysis Using Rainfall Observations in Australia
Global, 3-hourly, 9-km resolution soil moisture estimates are available with a mean latency of ~2.5 days from the NASA Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) mission Level-4 Soil Moisture (L4_SM) product. These estimates are based on the assimilation of SMAP radiometer brightness temperature (Tb) observations into the NASA Catchment land surface model using a spatially distributed ensemble Kalman filter. Routine monitoring of the L4_SM system's assimilation diagnostics revealed occasionally large observation-minus-forecast Tb differences across eastern central Australia that resulted in large analysis increments (or adjustments) of the model forecast soil moisture. Because this region lacks in situ soil moisture measurements, we developed an alternative approach to assess the veracity of the soil moisture analysis increments in the L4_SM system. Using regional gauge-based precipitation data, we demonstrate that the L4_SM soil moisture increments are correlated with errors in the L4_SM precipitation forcing, suggesting that the SMAP Tb observations contribute valuable information to the L4_SM soil moisture estimates.
Influence of Land Cover and Soil Moisture based Brown Ocean Effect on an Extreme Rainfall Event from a Louisiana Gulf Coast Tropical System
Extreme flooding over southern Louisiana in mid-August of 2016 resulted from an unusual tropical low that formed and intensified over land. We used numerical experiments to highlight the role of ‘Brown Ocean’ effect (where saturated soils function similar to a warm ocean surface) on intensification and it’s modulation by land cover change. A numerical modeling experiment that successfully captured the flood event (control) was modified to alter moisture availability by converting wetlands to open water, wet croplands, and dry croplands. Storm evolution in the control experiment with wet antecedent soils most resembles tropical lows that form and intensify over oceans. Irrespective of soil moisture conditions, conversion of wetlands to croplands reduced storm intensity, and also, non-saturated soils reduced rain by 20% and caused shorter durations of high intensity wind conditions. Developing agricultural croplands and more so restoring wetlands and not converting them into open water can impede intensification of tropical systems that affect the area.
Relative Importance of Greenhouse Gases, Sulfate, Organic Carbon, and Black Carbon Aerosol for South Asian Monsoon Rainfall Changes
The contribution of individual aerosol species and greenhouse gases to precipitation changes during the South Asian summer monsoon is uncertain. Mechanisms driving responses to anthropogenic forcings need further characterization. We use an atmosphere‐only climate model to simulate the fast response of the summer monsoon to different anthropogenic aerosol types and to anthropogenic greenhouse gases. Without normalization, sulfate is the largest driver of precipitation change between 1850 and 2000, followed by black carbon and greenhouse gases. Normalized by radiative forcing, the most effective driver is black carbon. The precipitation and moisture budget responses to combinations of aerosol species perturbed together scale as a linear superposition of their individual responses. We use both a circulation‐based and moisture budget‐based argument to identify mechanisms of aerosol and greenhouse gas induced changes to precipitation, and find that in all cases the dynamic contribution is the dominant driver to precipitation change in the monsoon region.
Influence of Sea Surface Backscattering on The Spaceborne Radar Measurements of Rainfall
We examined the feasibility of retrieving ocean surface winds from TRMM PR data for the benefit of surface reference technique.
The Diurnal Cycle of Rainfall and Surface Wind Speed in Tropical Cyclones
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Analyzing the Tropical Cyclone Diurnal Cycle with Satellite Rainfall Estimates and Lightning Data
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Chapter 17 - Rainfall microphysical characterization over the Mediterranean area during the GPM era
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Contributions of Land Initialization and Subseasonal Rainfall Forecasts to River Water Availability Forecasts in Southeast Asia
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Improved subseasonal prediction of South Asian monsoon rainfall using data-driven forecasts of oscillatory modes
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Evaluating TMPA Rainfall over the Sparsely Gauged East African Rift
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Initial Results of a New Composite-Weighted Algorithm for Dual-Polarized X-Band Rainfall Estimation
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Rainfall variability and nitrogen addition synergistically reduce plant diversity in a restored tallgrass prairie
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Remote sensing-based characterization of rainfall during atmospheric rivers over the central United States
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Albedo changes after fire as an explanation of fire‐induced rainfall suppression
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